Editors Note: This is NOT a paid political advertisement or endorsed by anyone other than the writer / author of this blog. On Monday, August 19th, Democratic Presidential candidate Julián Castro unveiled a platform focused on advancing the welfare of animals around the globe, both domestic and wildlife. It would raise standards for factory farms […]

They said it couldn’t happen. They said wild salmon would never breach penned-up fish farms. They were wrong. And that’s a big problem. On June 11, 2019, members from the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ / Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, including Tribal Parks Guardians and members of the Clayoquot Sound Indigenous Salmon Alliance, boarded and inspected open net pen […] […]

President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency has escalated tensions all across the southern border. The large majority of residents who live near the Mexican border don’t want the Wall built. Their reasons include fear of the government’s use of eminent domain, the high probability of flooding from a built wall, concern of escalating tensions […] […]

Just when you thought your food choices were clear and safe. UK firm The John Innes Centre has applied for permission to plant experimental genetically modified wheat and broccoli in open fields at their farm outside Norwich, in the United Kingdom. The research company hopes to begin two small-scale field trials in April. In 2017, […]

When you consider our nation’s health, the quality of our food, its decreasing nutritional value and the increased degradation of our farmland, it’s not a pretty picture — and the challenges related to these issues keep growing. By 2050 the world’s population will likely reach close to 9 billion people. To feed everyone, we’ll need […]

Seems like the sustainable bandwagon is moving ahead. Contrary to my less than optimistic view when Unilever announced they’d stop buying palm oil from an Indonesian planter involved in deforestation, now Nestle is joining the party.

After a two month campaign by Greenpeace, Nestle announced plans to stop buying palm oil from Sinar Mas Group, an Indonesian lumber and chemical products conglomerate accused by Greenpeace of illegal deforestation practices. Nestle says it has partnered with The Forest Trust, a non-profit organization that works to help companies establish sustainable supply chains. to “focus on the systematic identification and exclusion of companies owning or managing high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation.”

Nestle has set a goal of making its palm oil products 100 percent sustainable by 2015. It’s currently at 18 percent.

Greenpeace’s campaign to “help” Nestle shift their palm oil practices included spurring consumers to take action with over 200,000 sent e-mail messages, hundreds of phone calls and countless Facebook comments.

So I’m a bit more optimistic this time around with another corporate giant making noises and taking action towards creating a sustainable supply chain. Who’ll be next to jump on this bandwagon?